How does Ezekiel 5:7 connect to Deuteronomy 28's blessings and curses? Setting the Scene: Ezekiel 5:7 “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have been more insubordinate than the nations around you—have not walked in My statutes or kept My judgments, and have not even kept the ordinances of the nations around you—’” (Ezekiel 5:7) Echoes of Deuteronomy 28’s Blessings and Curses • Deuteronomy 28:1–14 promises overflowing blessing for obedience. • Deuteronomy 28:15–68 warns of escalating curses if Israel refuses God’s commands. • Ezekiel 5:7 appears centuries later, showing the curses now activated; Israel is “more insubordinate” than the nations, failing the very conditions laid down in Deuteronomy. Shared Covenant Framework 1. Covenant Terms • Deuteronomy 28 sets the “if/then” terms: obedience brings life and prosperity; disobedience brings devastation. • Ezekiel 5:7 cites failure to “walk” in statutes and “keep” judgments—language mirroring Deuteronomy 28’s covenant vocabulary. 2. Comparative Standard • Deuteronomy 28:10 expects the nations to see Israel and “fear the LORD.” • Ezekiel 5:7 reverses that expectation: Israel’s conduct is worse than the surrounding nations, so judgment must display God’s holiness (cf. Ezekiel 5:8). 3. Progressive Discipline • Deuteronomy 28’s curses intensify: famine, disease, siege, exile. • Ezekiel 5 describes those very stages—famine (v. 10), sword (v. 12), scattering (v. 12)—showing the prophetic fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28:49–57. Curses Realized in Ezekiel’s Day • Famine inside Jerusalem’s walls matches Deuteronomy 28:53–57. • The sword of invading armies echoes Deuteronomy 28:49–52. • Global dispersion fulfills Deuteronomy 28:64: “The LORD will scatter you among all nations.” • The public nature of judgment fulfills Deuteronomy 28:37: “You will become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples.” Why the Comparison Matters Today • God’s word stands—promises and warnings alike (Joshua 23:14). • Covenant obedience still brings blessing, while rebellion invites discipline (Hebrews 12:5–11). • The seriousness of sin magnifies the necessity of Christ’s atoning work (Galatians 3:13 quotes Deuteronomy 21:23), providing deliverance from the curse of the law. |
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